The two-minute clip for the forthcoming film – the final part of Christopher Nolan ‘s Batman trilogy – also features Anne Hathaway , who plays Catwoman, and Tom Hardy as the villainous Bane.

And although the trailer hints at some of the big set-pieces – such as explosions at a football stadium which lead to the pitch collapsing – the action is relatively quiet, relying instead on a building sense of menace as it becomes apparent Hathaway and Hardy are up to no good.

Tom Hardy stars as the film’s villain Bane (Pic: YouTube)

The first half of the trailer, in fact, sees clips from the film set to the tune of a boy soprano singing the American national anthem, before Catwoman’s alter ego Selina Kyle issues Bruce Wayne with a stark warning.

‘You’d better batten down the hatches,’ she says, ‘because you and your friends are going to wonder how you could ever live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.’

Action-packed: Sequences in the trailer include a football stadium being reduced to a crater (Picture: YouTube)

The trailer also shows a series of battle sequences on the streets of Gotham between Batman and Bane.

Director Christopher Nolan recently told Empire magazine the film – which is set eight years after the end of 2008’s The Dark Knight – was ‘all about finishing Batman and Bruce Wayne’s story.’

Christian Bale returns for the final time as Bruce Wayne and Batman (Pic: YouTube)

The film, which also stars Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman, will open in cinemas in July 2012.